When Life Was Beautiful
by TheAngelIsrafel
Summary: Allen is living in a small town in the mid 1800's of Japan. After the death of Mana his life changes and he encounters a strange man on his way into town, a samurai sent there on a assignment... Theme:Doll/puppet for Yullen Week
1. Part I

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DGM, if I did Allen probably would have been sold to a whore house by Cross and bought by Kanda the next day…

**Warning: **generally speaking this would be what G PG? but Kanda curses at the end so it's more like PG-13 the rating will go up at the end of the fic because of violence and of course, the lemon…

**Note from Israfel: **This is set in Japan, in the mid 1800's where foreigners like Allen are RARE like one in a million… This is something that I have been meaning to make for a while and I figured Kanda's birthday would be a good date to start it OuO Happy Kanda's Birthday everyone!

It is raining and the streets are growing mucky. The air is cool and the sky is a dark grey. Most people are hurrying on their way, choosing to stay home and out of the rain…most but not all…

There are a few who choose to be out in the cool, damp air. They have things that need to be done, have places that they have to be, have a life that can't be put on hold because of the rain.

Except…

…there is one person who has nothing to do that day…

…has no place to go, to be at…

And so he stands atop the bridge underneath a simple umbrella, watching the water flow by…

…**When Life was Beautiful…**

Allen is dressed in a white kimono, a red obi around his waist. His hair is clipped back on one side and he is staring at the water, at the river. The hem of the kimono is wet and his feet are soaked, rain water is dripping from his umbrella. He is staring down with a blank expression, trying to remember how he has gotten there…

…how he has come to this point in his life…

The boy, the young man who is only sixteen, closes his eyes, listens to the water and feels the sudden gust of wind on his back. He knows he should be sad…yet…he feels…empty… He opens his clear eyes and looks up, at the small food stand off to the side of the river, at the other side of the bridge.

He watches the few people hurry about, watches someone slip on the slick ground and catch themselves. Allen is uncertain of what to do for the day, of what to do with himself. The air shifts suddenly, flowing up underneath his umbrella, yanking it from his hands.

He gasps, hurries along the bridge in his sandals and tries to catch up to the red umbrella. Allen watches, in what feels like slow motion, as his umbrella drops to the ground in front of another person, a man who is on his way into town. He feels nervous suddenly, nervous because of the katana at the man's waist, at the fact that he is clearly a traveling samurai.

The air shifts, the rain increases as the man leans down, picks the umbrella up. He walks up to Allen, hands it to him. His face is stoic, emotionless as the boy thanks him, dazzled by his blue eyes as he passes him by.

"A-Are you heading into town?" The man turns back, stares at him a moment before nodding, a small inclination of the head, almost unnoticeable…

"Would you like me to show you to some place…?"

"To an inn…" Allen blinks, moves forward, his heart pounding as loud as the rain.

"Are you staying for more than one night?" He feels his colorless hair sticking to his face. The man stares at him, his own long black hair held up in a high pony tail.

"No," His eyes are intense and cause Allen to flush lightly while they are on him.

"You can stay at my place…" The man stares at him, his face blank, and for a moment the boy feels like he has said or done something wrong.

"Alright…" Allen can't stop the small smile which graces his face, nor can he stop his happiness from spreading to his eyes, something that he has not felt in a long time.

-

He pulls the door to a small house open, allows the man inside before entering and pulling the door shut. They are both wet, but not soaked. Allen steps out of his sandals and onto a wooden floor, one that would look rather nice if polished. He turns around and gives a small bow to the man before him.

"This is my home, please tell me if you would like anything… and my name is Allen…" The boy looks up, smiles seeing the man nod, step out of his shoes and onto the floor. He looks around the house, the single living room that makes up most of the small building.

"…Kanda…is my name…" Hearing this Allen gives another smile, moves into the living room and pulls out two cushions.

"Kanda-san, would you like something to drink?" He asks setting them down. He kneels at the square hole in the center of the room, makes an attempt at lighting a fire with the wood that is in it.

"Hnn…" Kanda moves to sit on the cushion offered, removes his sword from his hip and places it in his lap. Allen looks up, pausing in his attempts at starting the fire. He frowns lightly, deciding that he'll make some anyway… The samurai watches as the boy finally starts a fire, a small one, as he stands and heads into another room in the small house.

The wind picks up some, creating a bit more of a draft in the place, before the rain becomes heavier. Kanda looks over at another doorway. A small shuffling sound comes from the room and he stands, holds his Katana in the ready position. Allen walks back into the room and stares at the man.

An orange cat pokes its head around the corner, looks up at the dark haired man and yawns, stretching. Allen gives a small laugh at seeing his guest relax and take his seat again.

"That's Timcanpy, nothing to be worried about." The boy kneels and hangs a tea pot over the small fire from a metal rack.

"Che," Kanda stares at the platinum blond, at how calm he seems. "…you are a stupid one…" Allen pauses, leans back and stares at the man, a small frown on his face.

"I'm sorry?" He tilts his head some to the side, tries to remain polite.

"Baka Moyashi," Allen's frown increases some, trying to comprehend what the other means, why he would act in such a manner.

"…did you just call me…?" Kanda stares at him, his face calm though his eyes are annoyed.

"I thought you were making tea…"

The boy shakes his head, his eyes flicking over towards the man's katana.

"Are you here to kill someone?" An assassin is nothing new to Allen, a concept that he knows about and lives with, just as everyone in the town does.

"Hnn…"

"I won't tell anyone, I could probably tell you where they live…"

"Why?" Kanda stares at the child, his expression unchanging, though he is silently curious as to why the other would offer such a thing.

"The people here don't like me…" Allen closes his eyes, unsure why he feels the need to explain his actions to this man. "It is because I am Gaijin…"

"You talk a lot…"

Allen frowns, puffs out his cheeks some in annoyance. "And you don't talk enough."

"You're the one who invited me here."

The tea pot makes a high pitched sound which halts their conversation for the moment. The pale haired boy stands and leaves the room, returning with two tea cups. He removes the tea pot from the small fire using a cloth to shield his hand and pours the light green liquid into the two cups.

"Do you have guests often?" Kanda asks after a moment, his eyes set on the cup set before him.

"Ah-no…" Allen frowns lightly, sets the tea pot off to the side of the fire and picks up his cup. He blows lightly on the liquid, helping it cool some.

"So you live with someone?"

"Not…anymore…" The boy takes a sip of tea, his eyes set on the light colored liquid for a moment.

Kanda picks the cup up, lifts it to his mouth and tastes some. He frowns, cup still in hand. "It's disgusting…"

"Then don't drink it." Allen takes another sip, ignoring the man's comment. He likes it and so did-

He shakes the thoughts from his head.

"Where is the person you used to live with?"

"He's…dead…"

Kanda stares at the boy, takes another drink of his tea despite his words.

"Killed?"

"Yes…"

"Hnn…"

"Thank you so much for your sympathy." Allen says in a mocking tone, his hands holding the cup a little tighter.

"People die, get over it." Kanda looks over at the orange cat as it paces around the room, contemplates on leaving to go to an inn.

"So who are you here for?"

"None of your business."

"I could help."

"You want me to kill the one who killed your friend?"

"Foster father and no, I told you I don't like anyone here." Allen sets his cup down and stands up. "I'm going to prepare dinner, excuse me…"

-

"Your cooking sucks too."

"Then don't eat it." Allen takes a bite of white rice, a small little table set before him with the samurai sitting across.

"You should have been taught better."

"If you don't like it then don't eat it."

"You're a lousy host." Kanda frowns at the rice before him and the curry the boy has made.

"And you are a fabulous person." Allen mocks as he takes another bite of his meal, close to finishing it. "But being that I am your host, would you like a bath after this?"

Kanda looks up, stares at the other, thinking.

"I should cut you for your stupidity…"

"I'm going to take a bath, do you want one as well, being as you are the guest…"

The samurai smirks and takes another bite of his meal, ignoring how Timcanpy is watching him. "Better show me respect…"

Allen sets his empty rice bowl down, his chopsticks flat across the top. "Shall I assume that is a yes?"

"Che…"

The boy stands, clears his dishes from the table and leaves the room. Kanda turns and glares at the cat, watches as the animal hisses at him, fangs looking more than deadly.

"Tim, come here it's time for your meal!" The cat hisses once more before exiting the room and heading into the small kitchen, tail standing straight up as if mocking the samurai. Kanda glares after the animal for a moment before deciding that it isn't worth staining his katana on.

For a moment the room is silent, the only sound coming from a shuffling in the kitchen and the strong winds outside. Allen appears once more, gives a smile that seems too polished and perfect to be real before slipping into the small room where the bathtub is.

Kanda finishes his meal in silence and when the boy returns again, he looks tired.

"The bath is ready…"

"Hnnn…." Kanda stands and heads into the other room, sliding the door shut behind him. Allen waits a moment before picking the dishes up and returning to the kitchen to set them in a bucket of water to soak. He glances up, at the window and watches the rain and wind mix, the water falling in uneven waves.

"Ah-Kanda-san…" The boy turns and calls softly into the other room. "I have a yukata for you to sleep in when you are done…"

"…"

Despite the man's silence, the pale haired boy knows he has been heard.

Allen heads over to a large closet and opens the door softly, pulls out a futon and lays it on the floor before yanking a second one out. He proceeds to make both beds, setting them up next to one another.

The boy walks over to where their clothes are kept and pulls out a clean yukata for the samurai to wear. He sits down next to the bathroom door, clothes sitting on his lap as he pulls his knees up to his chest.

The house grows eerily silent and he can feel his chest tightening.

The sound of Kanda rinsing off before climbing in the tub is soft but there and it makes Allen feel like he needs to talk, to break the silence.

"Have…you traveled far…to get here?"

Kanda pauses inside the other room, half in the tub. He moves to sit down all the way before responding.

"Yes."

"…been traveling for a while?"

The man frowns, relaxes just a little into the water and closes his eyes, his katana within reach. "I am always traveling."

"For…your job?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"Oh…" Allen stares down at the floor, frowning into the darkening room. What little sunlight there is, is fading and it's growing dark out, becoming night.

He hates the night…

"So, um…"

"Why do you feel the need to talk?" Kanda's voice does not sound mad but it holds the almost constant irritation in it.

"…sorry…"

"If you're sorry then don't talk."

Allen looks over at Tim as he walks across the floor, heading back into the room he has been sleeping in earlier. A good couple of minutes pass before anything more is said.

"I don't like it at night."

"…"

"It reminds me of how different my home is now."

"…"

"It's quiet here, and no one stops by anymore…"

"…"

"People used to come and see Mana all the time…"

"…"

"Mana was my foster father who died…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Kanda can't help but look over at the door, exhaustion seeping onto his face.

"I'm sorry, I just don't like being here by myself at night…"

Kanda snorts in response, shifts his body in the bathtub and stands up. "I'm getting out." He reaches for the towel that has been set out for him before drying his body off. The door is slid open and Allen sits kneeling on the floor, he sets the yukata and sash inside the door before sliding it shut again.

"I'm sorry if I offended you…"

"Baka Moyashi." Kanda mutters as he rubs his hair dry, leaving the bathroom once dressed. He ignores Allen as the boy stands outside the door, eyes blank and staring down at the floor, a clean yukata in his arms, one of a light blue shade whereas Kanda's is black.

The man exits the bathroom and Allen enters, slides the door shut behind himself.

Kanda stares at the futons that have been laid out, how one is made with the up most care while the other seems to have been flopped down. He moves over and sits on the one that has been made nicely, stares at the white one next to him.

"How long ago did he die?"

Allen pauses in undressing himself, looks over at the door and swallows. "Two weeks…" He says softly before wetting his body and beginning to clean himself.

"The stuff you are letting me use belonged to him?"

"Yes…"

Kanda leans back on the futon, eyes looking up at the window, out at the night sky. Allen returns to cleaning his body; he climbs in the bathtub once he's rinsed off. After fully submerging himself he closes his eyes and listens to the silence of the small house.

"When Mana died… everyone felt sorry for me… but now they just shout at me…"

"People give out false appearances." Kanda closes his eyes, curses himself for having responded to the boy.

"It's why I hate everyone in town, they talk about me behind my back…"

"Pay me and I'll remove a few of them."

"It's…it doesn't matter." Allen gives a soft sigh, sinks lower into the hot bathwater. He listens to the wind outside, to the storm that is slowly passing through.

"Is it someone important you're…_removing_…tomorrow…?"

Kanda stares up at the ceiling, eyes fixed on a single dark spot, contemplates how much he should say, or if anything should be said at all. "Yes."

Allen looks down at the water, tilts his head to the side and exhales lightly. "Did they do something to deserve it?"

"It doesn't matter."

"…I'll be quiet now…"

Silence settles in after that, not broken by anything but the rain and the wind from outside. It doesn't take long for Kanda to fall asleep and by the time Allen is done with his bath the man is asleep.

The boy sits on his futon, pulls the blankets up over his legs. He looks over at the window, at how the wind seems to die down and how the rain is becoming more of a drizzle. He looks over at Timcanpy as the cat pads over to lie at the foot of his bed.

The small orange creature scoots up to his side, eyes large and content as Allen reaches to pet him.

"You'll be okay right?"

The cat stares up at him, the purr growing just loud enough to be heard. The boy gives another glance at the moon before leaning back onto the futon, closing his eyes and muttering a silent prayer to himself.

He lies there for a while, his mind alert and his body numb.

Allen is scared of what will happen. He is silently praying that the man lying next to him will kill him before he wakes the next day.

-

The morning air is cool and damp, a light breeze rolling in through the windows. The house is strangely still when the boy wakes. He sits up and rubs his eyes some, runs his hand through his hair. He stands and heads over to the closet, to pull out a kimono for him to wear that day.

There is a knock on the door.

Allen turns, stares for a moment before walking over and sliding it open.

"Good morning…" He says in a low tone, standing so that the man inside cannot be seen.

"Get ready…"

-

Kanda awakes close to an hour later, stares up at the ceiling before reaching over to make sure his katana is still there. His hand grasps the cold handle as he sits up and looks over at where the white futon has been previously.

The bed has been picked up and put away.

The samurai looks around the small home, his eyes landing on the orange cat that is sitting by the door.

Timcanpy opens his mouth, lets out a loud meow before looking over at the door.

Kanda stands and spots his clothes folded next to where his katana had been lying. He heads over to the kitchen, looks in, his frown increasing as he sees that it is empty. Timcanpy meows loudly behind him again, looks over at the door once more as the man runs his fingers though his hair.

"Moyashi?"

Silence…

The orange cat turns and walks over to the futon that is still on the floor, lies down near the man's clothes.

Kanda walks over and picks up the crumpled piece of paper that is lying on the floor, unfolds it. The boys hand writing is crude but legible, something that resembles an uneducated child's, or an adult's that has very little time on their hands.

"I'm not using this place anymore,

Feel free to live here as long as you are in town.

Thank you for keeping me company on my last free night.

Allen"

Kanda tosses the note to the ground and reaches for his clothes, moves to dress himself and puts the futon away. He straps his katana to his waist and heads over to the door, slips his shoes on and leaves the house.

Timcanpy meows loudly in the background, causing the man to turn and glare at the animal.

"It's not my fucking fault your owner ditched you." He growls before pulling the door shut.

-Part I end-

Hmm I hope this has the feel that I want it to, and it's only the first part, like I said there are two more to come, though the next update won't be _that_ fast as I would kind of like to take a momentary break from typing… .// I hope all of you have liked this part and will come back for the second and the third~ Till then

Au Revoir,

_~Israfel~_


	2. Part II

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of -Man, if I did Allen would be wearing pedoshorts and sucking Kanda off right and left…

**Warning: **Rated something like PG-13 for Kanda's language, though the overall rating is R, probably higher….

**Note from Israfel: **Right, right here's the update to this little fic, I hope all of you like it, as I won' be able to update anything else for a little while but I will, just need to find the library in Tampa… =_=;

**Important note from Israfel:** Thank you to all of you who saw the person who copied my fic and told me, I love and thank you for telling me (even more love to those who snapped at them too) Please pay attention also in the future incase someone else tries again. And to those who find my fic's posted else where make sure it's not me, as I have links on my profile of where else I exist. And once again Thank you!

The air is cool, colder than it has been in a long time.

The seasons are changing and fall is slowly turning to winter.

Allen is sitting on a stool, is having his hair pulled at, tugged on and brushed back. He is being decorated, his face painted to be a little paler, his lips to be a little redder, some rouge brushed over the corners of his eyes.

He feels empty, blank, like a child's doll, one that had been promised so many things but given none of that. The boy closes his eyes, parts his lips a little bit more, upon instruction, lets the person before him paint the gloss on. His cheeks are brushed with a tinge of color and his hair is violently tugged on, pined back suddenly with large and extravagant clips and hair sticks.

Allen is told to stand, to hold his arms out and to pay attention.

He is going to be taught how to dress himself, how his kimono and obi are to be tied in the front.

…**Part Two…**

Kanda is walking down the street, his eyes sharp, piercing those that cross his path.

The air is cold and everything is still wet, soaked from the previous night's rain. People are still reluctant to leave their houses, to carry on with their life, though some still do, some have a life that cannot be put on hold.

The samurai pauses as he approaches a tea house, stares at its name, at the plaque hanging from the door before stepping inside. The air that hits him is warm and strongly filled with the scent of food cooking, of light chatter from the patrons that are there this early in the day.

"Good morning sir," A woman smiles at him as she approaches, friendly yet causes in her demeanor. "Would you like a table?"

Kanda nods, says nothing more than that, his eyes scanning the woman's face.

She flushes. His eyes are dark and unreadable.

"W-would you like a hostess to pour your tea for you?"

"Hnnn…." His response is taken in the positive before he is lead to the back, to a low sitting table in a small room with papered, wooden sliding doors. Kanda slips his shoes off and moves to sit on a cushion by the table. The woman smiles politely once more, though it is a bit strained now.

"Someone will be with you in a moment sir…" The door is slid shut after that and Kanda moves to sit in a more comfortable position, his katana lying within reach.

He does not wait long, a woman appears within a few minutes, dressed lavishly in a kimono of bright reds and dark browns, her hair pulled back, pinned with ornate clips.

"Hello," her voice is sweet and she appears kind.

Kanda knows better, knows that these women are the cruelest of all, that they are the ones who gossip about everyone and everything that goes on in the town.

"A Samurai, are you? That's so unusual for our town; no one ever comes here…" The female kneels on the floor as she slips out of her lacquered sandals, moves the tea pot she has brought with her over to the table.

The door is slid shut and Kanda watches the woman as she settles herself next to him. She pours him a cup of tea from the small kettle she has, moves her hand delicately and uses her other to hold her sleeve out of the way.

"Is there anything you might like to eat?"

"Soba," Kanda speaks in a low tone, making sure that the woman knows he does not want to talk, that she will not get him to converse about anything he does not feel like speaking of.

"Would you like it hot or cold?"

"…hot…" The woman smiles turns and moves towards the door, pulls it open enough to poke her head out. She speaks to a passing waiter, tells them Kanda's order before slipping back into the room.

She blinks, smiles seeing that he is watching her, his eyes cold and distant.

"So where do you come from…?"

"…far away…" Kanda does not ignore the woman, answers because he needs her to feel content with speaking with him.

"There are many things that are far away, but I guess that is a nice answer… Are you staying in town for a while?"

The samurai takes a sip of the tea he has been poured, gives the faintest of smirks at its taste before looking over at the woman. "No, I'm not."

"Ah, it's a shame, so I guess I won't be seeing you here often then…" A moment passes before the woman decides to talk again, her lips curving up into a slight smirk. "Is there any chance you might be stopping by again tonight?"

Kanda stares at the women, at the look in her eyes, decides that she is just trying to garner a customer, to get someone to request her. He shakes his head, takes another sip of the tea, silently thinks that Allen has made better.

He frowns at that thought, scolds himself just a little for having thought of the moyashi. The woman in turn frowns, leans towards him provocatively.

"Something bothering you?" She asks in a falsely sweet tone, tries to appear as sympathetic as possible.

It does not work.

"No, I just thought of something unpleasant."

There is a knock on the door and the woman moves to answer it, takes Kanda's meal from the waiter and places it on the table.

-

By the time Kanda has finished eating, the woman is talking about the people in the town, gossiping away. She feels at ease and is being as friendly as possible to him without being obvious, without overdoing it.

Kanda silently thinks many women need to learn this.

"Oooh, you came into town from over the river, which means you must have seen that weird little boy!"

The samurai looks up at this, tea cup in hand half way to his mouth for a drink.

"…white hair…?"

"Ah yes, so you did see him! That kid is so strange; he acts so polite to everyone to make up for being cursed. I bet he thinks if he's polite no one will bother him, but boy, was he wrong when his caretaker died…"

Kanda frowns, closes his eyes. "Stop."

The woman blinks, stares at him and flushes suddenly. "Ah, you're right, sorry, I shouldn't be gossiping like that…" She looks down as the man next to her and looks at his almost empty tea cup. He sets it down, waits for her to refill it before taking another sip.

"Is…is there anything you would like to know about the town…? As a way for me to say sorry for misbehaving?"

Kanda blinks, stares at the decorated women next to him and decides right then and there that she is not all that smart.

"Farther into town, are there more tea houses?"

"Ah, yes, a few over to the north, towards the larger part of the city, where most people live… after all we are still just the outskirts of the area…"

The man nods, thinks of another question he can ask that would be useful.

"If you go too far though, you'll run into the brothels, and there are quite a few bad ones there. I've heard that one is even owned by a man who runs a…oh dear I'm gossiping again…" The woman looks down once more, gives a slight pout. She sighs and then looks up at Kanda, smiles once more.

"Is there anything your might like, maybe something sweet? I think it's still a little early for sake… but if you'd like some…"

"No, thank you." Kanda stands, straps his katana to his side once more and moves to the door, the woman slides it open for him. He reaches into his sleeve and pulls out a coin, her payment, and then heads to the front of the tea house, pays for his meal there.

-

Allen is sitting in what feels like a large cage, the bars all wood, painted a bright red. He is looking down, afraid to look up and see those who pass by, to see someone from his part of the city, someone who knew him once.

Occasionally a man pauses to looks in and he looks up, stares at the person with large clear eyes, uncertain of what to say or do to attract a customer. He feels gaudy and overdone, his hair pulled too tight and his clothes too bright, lips too red… Allen closes his eyes, swallows nervously when someone else pauses.

They talk about the girl that is sitting next to him, dolled up in the same fashion he is, though… something is different about her, she is a bit simpler in appearance, if that could ever be possible.

"How about we buy one for a few hours, have some fun…"

"Hmmm, the girl is pretty but that boy… or girl, I'm not sure with that one's looks…"

Allen looks away, off to the side of the cage he is in, at some people in the distance. He can still hear the two men before him speaking, can still hear them discussing his gender, whether or not they want to buy him.

Buy him…

The words hurt and Allen has to close his eyes again, to force back the uneasy sensation before it sets in, before he feels like falling apart.

He cannot do that here, not when he has a quota to meet for the month, a certain amount of people to buy him.

Allen does not want to think of what will happen if he is not bought.

The two men before his cage move over past the entrance and peer into the other cage, at the more experienced ones there. The girl who is only a few years older than him is pulled from the front and taken into the back, replaced with another girl, another _product_ to be bought and used.

-

The sun is beginning to set by the time Kanda has made it farther into the town, into the deeper parts of the city.

He is annoyed at how much of a walk it is but does not care, he needs it to be night, needs the darkness.

The streets are still somewhat empty, devoid of the usual hustle and bustle that he knows goes on normally. There is a cold front coming in and it is supposed to rain again that night, even before the sun sets entirely.

The samurai heads over to a small restaurant, buys a drink and something small to eat, so that he can sit there and wait for the daylight to fade. He decides that the tea at the restaurant is not great and not bad either. It is something that tastes better than what he had that morning but still does not compare to what he had the night before.

Kanda frowns at his cup, hating that he has once again compared his drink to what the boy has made him.

The air inside the restaurant shifts as the cloth covering the door blows inward with a gust of wind. The sound of rain follows quickly and Kanda can hear the people on the streets hurrying about.

He pays for the tempura he has barely touched and the drink he has not liked before leaving quickly.

Kanda stands in the door way for a moment, watches as everyone hurries about before slipping out into the rain.

The sky is dark and no sign of the sun is left as he darts down a small alleyway and onto a back street.

The pounding of the rain increases and he uses that as cover to climb up onto the roofs, to quickly dart farther into town, to the tea houses and brothels.

Kanda crouches down, peers into each brothel that he comes across, searching for the one person he has been sent after. He is not surprised when he sees him in a room with a woman, flirting and drinking. He watches the man, watches as he has his way and then pays, as he stumbles from the establishment and on down the rainy street.

The samurai follows, watches with a blank expression as the man heads into his home, listens to his wife scold him on being drunk and having been out in the rain, for having wasted money that they do not have. He listens to her complain, listens to her tell him that he should act like the diplomat that he is, that he has to leave in a few days to…to…

Kanda closes his eyes, shuts out the arguing and watches, waits for the couple to go to bed.

The rain has let up some, is no longer a downpour but is still heavier than an average shower.

He slips over to their roof, listens for any sound of movement, he can hear the man snore and wonders if the woman is awake or not.

It does not matter though, because he slips in through the window, draws his sword and in one swift motion, both are headless, are left with a serene expression on their face as their blood leaks out onto the futon and the hardwood floor, staining everything it touches.

Kanda leans down, cleans his blade on the edge of their blanket before slipping back out the window.

-

He pulls the door to the small shack open, steps inside and removes his wet sandals. Timcanpy is sitting in the middle of the room, stares up at him and meows loudly at the man as he heads into the bathroom to begin preparing a bath for himself.

The orange cat follows, stands in the doorway and meows again, louder than before, sounding almost annoyed.

Kanda shuts the door in the cat's face.

-

The next day, before the sun has completely risen, everyone knows that the diplomat is dead.

Allen is already up. He is in the process of having his face painted on when a woman rushes into the room and starts talking about it, about what has happened and how the man has been found.

Something inside of the boy tells him that Kanda is the one responsible.

He does not understand the strange sadness that washes over him at the thought of the man. It is unlike what he is used to feeling, a sadness, for the samurai who will be leaving rather than for the man who has died.

"He had it coming." The woman who is painting his face says in a cold tone. She startles Allen out of his thoughts and back to reality, back to the fact that today is just another day, one in which he desperately needs to be purchased, to have someone buy him.

The boy hates himself for his thoughts, for the lavish clothes and the pins in his hair, for what he is doing for money.

-

Kanda is sitting at the small table inside of Allen's house; he has tried to make some tea for himself, has made a decent brew but still dislikes it. He frowns, stares down at the empty table, at the seat the boy has previously occupied.

Timcanpy is sitting there now, staring up at Kanda with large golden eyes, an expression of annoyance on his face.

He opens his mouth, meows loudly again, which causes Kanda's grip to tighten on the tea cup he is holding.

"What do you fucking want?"

"Meooooow…." Timcanpy's tail swishes back and forth as he stands and walks towards the door.

Kanda glares at the animal, takes another sip of the tea he has made, looks down at the liquid and curses lightly to himself.

"Meooooow…"

"Where the fuck do you think he went?"

Timcanpy turns and looks at the door, stretches and sits down, belly to the floor. He blinks slowly, waits for the man to finally get fed up.

And Kanda does.

He slams the small tea cup down on the table, stands and heads towards the door, slips his shoes on.

The air outside is cool, almost colder than the day before; the sky cloudy. He glances back at the cat sitting in the doorway, watches the orange animal opens its mouth to meow once again.

He shuts the door quickly and heads off into town, towards the city.

-

Allen is sitting inside the red cage once again, blankets and pillows spread out around him. He has been told to look appealing, to expose his legs a little, not too much but enough to entice someone.

And right now, he needs just about anyone to purchase him.

He closes his eyes, shifts a little, so that he is propped up by his elbows, his legs raised slightly at the knee, kimono falling open just a little. The boy tilts his head to the side, tired already, exhausted from having been woken up so early, from having been in the cage all day, watching everyone walk by.

Allen pulls his eyes open, knows that if he falls asleep out here, he will be punished.

He has already been punished once, for ignoring potential customers.

Something is said behind him, by the two females in the cage with him, one who is experienced and one who is new as well. They nudge him and remind him to look appealing, because a samurai is coming.

Samurai are good customers, have always been. They are well-paid and have no home, and those who do, travel often.

Allen pulls his legs up a little more and decides that if he is bought by such a person, he can ask for them to come back at night and kill him.

It is then that the women in the cage stand and move towards the wooden bars start talking to whoever is passing by. The boy gives a small sigh and stands as well, walks over to the bars.

Kanda is standing in front of the other cage, is staring in past the females in front, at those in the back. His eyes drift from them and onto the other cage. He frowns, walks briskly towards it and reaches in, grabs the front of Allen's kimono and yanks him forward, against the wooden bars.

"You little brat!" He hisses at the boy, ignoring the frightened gasps of the females around him.

"K-Kanda-san!" Clear eyes widen, shock clearly written in them as he is pulled flush against the bars this time.

"Why the fuck are you here?!"

"Wh-what?" Allen grabs at the man's hand, tries to loosen his grip. "C-can you let go, I'm going to get in trouble."

"You little shit! Answer my fucking question!"

"You there!" The two turn and look at the large men that are exiting the brothel. Allen begins to struggle even more. He knows that if the owner comes out, he will be blamed for having said something to trigger the man's temper.

"Ah-Kanda-san, please let go!"

"Let go or pay for him."

Kanda turns, glares at the men who are approaching him, katana drawn and in hand. He knows that he could easily take them, but he does not want to waste his talent on them.

"How much?"

Allen's eyes widen and he stops struggling against the man's grip, as he is suddenly dropped. He stumbles back, a male dressed a little less extravagantly catches him. The two men stare at Kanda, eye him up and down, their gaze lingering on the sword on his hip.

"Come inside, we can talk." Allen closes his eyes at the sound of that voice, at the woman who owns the brothel, at the one who owns him now.

"P-please just lea-"

"Shut up Baka Moyashi." Kanda hisses as he walks inside the building.

Allen is quickly ushered from the red cage and back inside, the older more experienced workers adjusting his clothes and some even fixing his appearance as they go.

"Do what he says!" One of the women barks at him.

"You are to give him whatever he wants," another snaps pulling a door open.

Allen is shoved into a room, the door slipping shut instantly. He blinks, stares at the small table and the bed in the room, wrinkles his nose at the sent of incense. He moves over and sits down on the cushion next to the small table.

The door is opened once more and Kanda walks in, his sword absent from his side.

Kanda shuts the door and stomps over to Allen, reaches back to hit the boy.

"W-wait! Kanda-san!"

"Give me one good reason to listen to you."

"You damage my face and I'll get in trouble! No one will buy me!"

Kanda growls, stares down at the boy before dropping his arm. He moves over to sit on the other side of the table and continues to glare at Allen.

"Why are you here?"

The boy looks down, at the large bow of his obi, tied in the front. He swallows, tries to think of how to respond.

"Your fucking cat won't shut up either." The samurai continues to stare at the boy before him, can see him trying to think of something to say.

"Why…do you…want to know?" Allen looks up, nervous, uncertain if the man before him will reach across the table and hit him.

Kanda glares, looks away, "You're right, it's none of my fucking business."

Allen looks away, frowns lightly.

"Make some goddamn tea." The man is demanding and crude, but there is something in his voice that tells the boy that he does actually care, that what he said isn't the truth.

"Alright." Allen stands, moves over to the door and slips out. He returns with in a few minutes, tray in hand with two cups and the tea pot atop it. The door is slid shut before he walks over to the table, kneels down on the cushion once more. The tray is set on the table and his hands move back to his lap.

Kanda frowns, "Pour the damn tea, baka Moyashi," He orders, gives a slight smirk at how Allen flushes lightly at the name, at how his lips purse just a little, annoyed at the name.

"Please call me by my name…"

"What is it?"

Allen blinks, pauses just as he is about to pour some tea for the other. "I told you once already, it's Allen…"

"I meant your new name, they change your name once you become a whore."

The boy looks down, hating how true that sentence is. He fills the tea cup and then his own, sets the kettle down. "Shiro…they call me Shiro-kun here…"

Kanda stares at the flush on the other's face and knows that being here is not of his own volition. "Okay, Shiro…"

"Please, use my actual name…"

"Why?"

"I don't like being called that…"

The samurai reaches for his tea cup, brings it to his lips, blows lightly at the steam rising off of it. He takes a sip, frowns at the taste of it.

"You still can't make tea worth shit."

"Then why did you ask for some…?"

"What else would I do here?"

"Use me."

Kanda's eyes widen as he stares at the boy across the table from him.

"I mean, that's what you paid for, to use my body for an hour or so…"

"I'm not going to fuck a child, much less you."

Allen sighs, leans forward a bit. "Then why did you pay for me? I am of no use to you, the least I could do is please you."

"You're seriously fucked in the head."

"Kanda-san…"

"Why are you here in the first place?"

Allen blinks, looks away. "I thought you didn't care."

"Then why do you want to fuck me?"

"It's my job."

Kanda frowns, takes another sip of his tea and sets the cup down. He stands and heads towards the door. "You really are fucking stupid."

Allen watches as the door is slid open, as the man reaches into his sleeve and pulls out some coins, tosses them back at the boy. They spill onto the floor and by the time Allen has collected all of them the owner of the brothel is standing in the open door way.

Kanda has given him half his month's pay in a single night.

-Part II end-

Right so I'm updating this before anything else because, well it's the only thing I have planned out at the moment and that makes it easy and fast. To those of you who thought Allen was a whore, well yep you were right. I'm not sure when the last part will come out but it will, at some point in time. I hope all of you can wait patiently for it.

Au Revoir,

_~Israfel~_


	3. NOTE

I'm sorry that I haven't updated anything in SO SO SO long but it's because I haven't been able to get to any computers with internet and that has downed my feeling of need to update (not sure if that makes sense) ALSO thank you (EVERYONE) for your help with that plagerized fic of mine, really I appreciate it ever so much.

on another not to all who love my writting my Beta has disappeared again... my lovely and nice one so I am searching once again for someone who can beta both my OHHC fics and my DGM ones, also you need to know that I am not a pure Yullen lover so please if you want to be my beta keep that in mind...

AND I WILL NO ACCEPT ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 17 8O I do NOT approve of the miners reading my work! not that I stop them =n= can't really do that since I want to write in the first place...

Thank you for your time...

~Israfel~

ALSO I am learning French and if you speak/read it send me some good fanfics, one's that I might be able to read... please and thank you!


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